page_title: Hong Kong 1 July marches
section_title: 2019
hierarchical_section_title: Hong Kong 1 July marches / 2019
caption_attribution_description: English: 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition law protest on 1 July 2019, captured by Studio Incendo from Flickr.
context_page_description: The Hong Kong 1 July protests is an annual protest rally originally held by the Civil Human Rights Front from the day of handover in 1997 on the HKSAR establishment day. However, it was not until 2003 that the march drew large public attention by opposing the legislation of Basic Law Article 23. The 2003 protest, with 500,000 marchers, was the second-largest protest seen in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover.
  Prior to this, only the pro-democracy protest on 21 May 1989 drew more people with 1.5 million marchers in Hong Kong sympathising with the participants of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. The introduction of Article 23 legislation was left aside due to the protest. Since then, 1 July marches have been organised every year to demand for democracy, universal suffrage, rights of minorities, protection of freedom of speech, and a variety of other political concerns.
  In 2019, the anti-extradition bill protest on 16 June broke the record of largest protest in Hong Kong with nearly 2 million marchers. The 1 July march in the same year with 550,000 marchers, was the largest 1 July march.
context_section_description: The 1 July marches coincided with the ongoing anti-extradition bill protests. Organisers claim that around 550,000 people turned up to protest, a record breaking turnout as the organisers claimed. However, police claimed 190,000 joined the protest rally. Researchers combining artificial intelligence and manual counting techniques concluded that a total of 265,000 people marched. Independent polling organisation, PORI, estimated attendance at 260,000. Reuters counted the number of protestors at one location over 15-minute periods during the march and came to an estimate of 227,000 people in total.
  Before the march, youths had begun besieging the Legislative Council building. The march was later diverted to Chater Road in Central due to the people amassed in front of the Legislative Council.
  At around 9 pm local time, hundreds of protesters stormed the legislature after breaking through the glass walls and metal doors of the building. Protesters caused extensive damage by ransacking the premises, damaging portraits of former pro-Beijing presidents of the Legislative Council, and smashing furniture. Protesters spray-painted slogans, hung up signs and erected barricades. The police started using tear gas to disperse protesters around the LegCo at 12:05 am, and reached the building 15 minutes later.
  By early 5 July, there had been at least 66 arrests and first formal charges laid in connection with the incident.
caption: Hong Kong anti-extradition law protest on 1 July 2019
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